Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Foz do Iguaçu

For one person, living is cheaper in Foz do Iguaçu: $910 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Foz do Iguaçu
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Foz do Iguaçu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Foz do Iguaçu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Foz do Iguaçu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Foz do Iguaçu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $910 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Foz do Iguaçu $910

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,390 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Foz do Iguaçu $1,390

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,870 in Foz do Iguaçu, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Foz do Iguaçu $1,870

Medellin costs about 77% more than Foz do Iguaçu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Foz do Iguaçu is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$6.08 R$30.80

30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$40.68 R$206

13.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.11 R$36.04

33.61%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.90 R$9.65

63.68%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.38 R$6.98

32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.58 R$2.94

137.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.64 R$8.32

85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.99 R$15.15

83.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.95 R$4.81

52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.51 R$7.64

56.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.70 R$8.62

-1.18%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.69 R$13.66

6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.04 R$40.74

26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.11 R$20.85

131.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$8.43 R$42.72

66.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.15 R$10.90

89.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.19 R$6.02

26.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.97 R$4.92

123.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.17 R$5.91

97.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.97 R$4.94

98.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.09 R$5.51

50.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.88 R$4.47

28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.88 R$4.47

42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.95 R$14.94

35.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.03 R$40.72

66.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.89 R$9.56

-10.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.99 R$15.18

-20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.97 R$4.92

24.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$52.4 R$266

46.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.02 R$5.16

29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.44 R$7.28

48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.24 R$6.30

4.84%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$20.3K R$103.1K

37.59%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.4K COP 112.3M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$172 COP 545.6K

$72.2 R$366

138.45%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$19.15 R$97.1

-30.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$20.40 R$103

40.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$19.97 R$101

126.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$5.98 R$30.33

184.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.29 R$47.09

-32.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$770 COP 2.4M

$242 R$1,227

218.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$47.64 R$242

81.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$17.75 R$90.0

221.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$50.3 R$255

171.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$39.21 R$199

149.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$377 R$1,912

179.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$320 R$1,622

92.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$711 R$3,603

166.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$508 R$2,573

101.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,279 R$6,485

217.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$897 R$4,547

87.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$397 R$2,015

64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.16

34.07%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Foz do Iguaçu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Foz do Iguaçu

$320 35.2% 48.1% $296

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Foz do Iguaçu

$190 20.9% 35.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Foz do Iguaçu

$112 12.3% 47.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Foz do Iguaçu

$70 7.7% 59% $100

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Foz do Iguaçu

$115 12.6% 31.8% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Foz do Iguaçu

$64 7.1% 30.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Foz do Iguaçu

$39 4.2% 33.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $377 in Foz do Iguaçu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $41.00 in Foz do Iguaçu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $190 – making Foz do Iguaçu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇷 Foz do Iguaçu

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

285,415

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Foz do Iguaçu 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Foz do Iguaçu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Foz do Iguaçu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $910 in Foz do Iguaçu – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,364 in Foz do Iguaçu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Foz do Iguaçu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $242 in Foz do Iguaçu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Foz do Iguaçu, where all-in costs run around $910, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Foz do Iguaçu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $910 in Foz do Iguaçu to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Foz do Iguaçu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.